Swimming With Dolphins in the Wild - Five Best Locations Worldwide

Swimming with dolphins in the wild is an amazing experience because you get the opportunity to interact with these incredibly friendly and intelligent animals on their own turf.

Unlike captive dolphins who have no choice but to interact with human beings whether they want to or not, wild dolphins can choose whether they want to stick around and swim with you and if they don't they have the freedom to simply disappear into the deep blue sea which makes it all the more special when they do decide to stay (which occurs on a frequent basis).

There is a huge debate raging about the ethics of swimming with captive dolphins and even though there are definite benefits for humans (treatment for depression and disabilities) captivity is harmful to the dolphins as they suffer from stress and illness and have a much shorter life expectancy than similar dolphins in the wild. The demand to swim with captive dolphins also encourages capture from wild populations that are already under threat which is very detrimental to the environment.

On the other hand, studies conducted on the effects of humans swimming with dolphins in the wild have shown that there seem to be no ill effects to the animals if it is done responsibly and sensibly (not by chasing and herding them or noisy splashing in the water).

The jury is still out because long term trends need to be taken into consideration but until such time as the scientific uncertainty is cleared up or the dolphins move away because they are feeling harassed, responsible swimming with wild dolphins is an ethical way to interact with them and tourism revenues generated provide a strong incentive for dolphin conservation.

So if you have a dream is to go swimming with dolphins, going the wild route with an ethical and responsible operator is the way to do it. Here are the top five places in the world to swim with wild dolphins...

1. Kaikoura, New Zealand

The best place in the world to swim with wild dusky dolphins because the success rate of finding and swimming with the pods is very high. The dolphins are attracted to the nutrients in the water that are available due to a 1200 meter trench situated just off the coast.

2. Oahu and Kona, Hawaii

You will find spinner and spotted dolphin here and some of the boat operators boast a 99% success rate of finding the pods on day trips.

3. Azores Archipelago

If you want dolphin variety then this is where you will find it as up to eight different species call this home and it's possible to see super pods of up to 1000 individuals here too.

4. Bimini, Bahamas

One of the advantages of swimming with dolphins here is the fact that the water is very warm, shallow and clear but it's important to remember that these are wild creatures and 20% of the time they don't come closer to the boat and rather swim away.

5. Red Sea, Egypt

Spinner and bottlenose dolphins can be found in these waters and travel operators have a very good record of finding dolphin pods in this area.